Incidental take notice for Manitowoc County
DATE: July 27, 2018
CONTACT: Rori Paloski, 608-264-6040 or Melissa Tumbleson, 607-267-0862
MADISON — An green infrastructure project at the north end of Neshotah Beach, City of Two Rivers, Manitowoc County, may result in the “incidental taking” of two rare plants under a permit the Department of Natural Resources proposes to issue for the project. Incidental take refers to the unintentional loss of individual endangered or threatened animals or plants that does not put the overall population of the species at risk.
The City of Two Rivers proposes to place a storm water device at Neshotah Beach, located above the Ordinary High-Water Mark (OHWM) of Lake Michigan in the City of Two Rivers. The berm and associated storm sewer will be located adjacent to the existing outlet pipe southeast of the intersection of 22nd Street and Neshotah Road and is intended to create a storm water device to remove pollutants (metals and organics) and solids before discharge into Lake Michigan. The storm water device will filter solids through the sand adjacent to Lake Michigan and Neshotah Beach. The removal of the pollutants and solids will improve water quality at the beach for recreational purposes.
The presence of the state threatened sand reedgrass (Calamovilfa longifolia var. magna) and state endangered sand dune willow (Salix cordata) have been confirmed in the vicinity of the project site. DNR staff determined that the proposed project may result in the incidental taking of some plants.
Department staff concluded that the proposed project is not likely to appreciably reduce the likelihood of the survival or recovery of these species within the state, the whole plant-animal community of which they are a part or the habitat that is critical to their existence.
The conservation measures to minimize the adverse effect on the threatened and endangered species will be incorporated into the proposed Incidental Take Permit. Copies of the jeopardy assessment and background information on the sand reedgrass and sand dune willow are available by searching the DNR website for incidental take public notice or upon request from Rori Paloski (608-264-6040 or rori.paloski@wi.gov) or Melissa Tumbleson (607-267-0862 or melissa.tumbleson@wi.gov). The department is requesting comments from the public through August 10, 2018 regarding project-related impacts to the Sand Reedgrass and Sand Dune Willow. Public comments should be sent to Rori Paloski or Melissa Tumbleson, Wisconsin DNR, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921 or rori.paloski@wi.gov or melissa.tumbleson@wi.gov.